Adelaide’s love affair with burgers continues as we see a new burger joint, Bread & Bone Wood Grill, open up on the revitalised Peel Street. Several partners within the business also run Press, which serves up arguably the best burger in Adelaide.

So what’s the point of difference with this place when it comes to burgers? As their name suggests, a wood grill is used in the cooking of their meat. This brings out the unique smokey flavours that you would rarely find anywhere else.

While there is a good 8 burgers to choose from on their menu, they also offer a good selection of gourmet hot dogs and larger meat dishes that are specially prepared on the wood grill. There are also some vegetarian options if you happen to be stuck with a group of carnivores. The venue is licensed with a small selection of beers, wines, cocktails and ciders on offer.

This place has the most interesting outdoor dining area I’ve ever seen. The entrance is via a hole in the side of a tunnel that leads upstairs. Apparently this space is where Format used to be. Elegant white tiles cover most of the tunnel surface. Fitted with lights, fans, speakers and heaters, this is as cosy as a tunnel can get.

The venue itself has a modern warehouse feel about it. The seating is a combination of communal benches and bar seating, with a long timber benchtop running down one side of the room. The kitchen is open plan and you can see the flames from the wood grill if you look closely enough. The ceiling is kind of exposed with what looks to be see through grates that are all angled in the same position. There’s not much natural light that flows through during the day, but if you sit close enough to the windows, you can get a bit of sunshine.

For lunch, I ordered the B & B Burger which consists of speck, cheese, tomato, lettuce, caramelised onion and kewpie (Japanese mayonnaise). The burgers came out 15 minutes after ordering and were nicely presented on rectangular plates.

The patty was a solid 150g slab of minced beef that was nicely marinated, tender and succulent. The inside was cooked medium rare as each bite revealed a dark pinkish centre. You could taste the smokey flavours from the wood grill which made the experience rather exceptional.

The amount of cheese was generous. I could see from a far that the chef was placing the bottom half of the burger under the grill to melt the cheese. It formed a nice decadent gooey glaze over the juicy beef patty. It had a nice subtle flavour which added an extra dimension to the burger.

The tomato was ripe and the lettuce was fresh and crisp. The caramelised onion had a natural sweetness which was balanced by the subtle saltiness of the speck. The kewpie was generously applied and prevented the burger from being too dry. The bun was fresh and of an adequate in size. It was a little on the sweet side but firm enough to hold all the ingredients together.

My friend ordered the Roast Pork Burger which consisted of wombok (Chinese cabbage), cucumber and kewpie. My friend said the roast pork was well marinated, tender and succulent, but a little too fatty. He thought the burger was a bit small, however, it was good overall.

As a side, we shared a serve of Onion Rings. It was essentially a bowl of finely sliced onion that had been lightly battered. The onion was soft and delicate, and the batter provided a nice crunch. The onion rings were adequately salted, but overall, nothing special.

The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the service was good. One of the waiters was kind enough to go through the menu and make suggestions. Drinks were served promptly and constantly refilled. The atmosphere was relaxed, although we were the only people in the place at the time.

The burgers at this place range from $8.50-$20 which can be considered reasonable depending where you go. The average price at a gourmet burger joint is around the $12 mark while a pub may charge you close to $20. My burger set me back $13.50, while the onion rings were an extra $5, which was reasonable. It consisted of quality ingredients, was of an adequate size and tasted good. Their hot dogs range from $9-$14.50, while their wood grill meals can go up to $28.

This place takes gourmet burgers to the next level and it’s hip location and surroundings will see it do well.

WHERE: 15 Peel St, Adelaide